16 die as rains lash northern India

INDIA: At least 16 people have died as torrential rains and high winds lashed northern India, toppling trees and houses, officials said Saturday.

All the deaths occurred in Uttar Pradesh state in the past 48 hours, regional relief commissioner G. K. Tandon said.

"We're still assessing the extent of the damage," he said in Lucknow as rains and high-velocity winds buffeted the state capital.

Officials said the deaths were caused by the collapse of flimsily built homes and other rain-related accidents.

Pounding rains triggered landslides in mountainous Himachal Pradesh, police said in state capital Shimla.

Highways to the summer resort state were blocked by fallen trees, the officials added, but reported no casualties.

The downpour, which has also soaked the Indian capital since Thursday, was a result of a depression forming in the Bay of Bengal, the weather department said.

Lucknow, Sunday, AFP